Say what you like: mi piace

The thing you like is the subject

In English the person is the subject: I like coffee. In Italian the thing you like is the subject, and the person is the one it pleases. That’s why io piace is never right: the subject is the coffee, not you.

Mi means to me. The usual order is mi + piace + the thing, but the thing is still the subject even when it comes last. You can also start with it: Il caffè mi piace molto.

Read every mi piace as it pleases me. Once that clicks, io piace sounds as odd as I pleases does in English.

piace or piacciono?

Because the thing you like is the subject, the verb agrees with it. One thing takes piace. More than one thing takes piacciono (double c, ending in -ono). The person never changes the verb: mi piace, ti piace and ci piace all keep piace.

The article is your best clue. Il, lo, la, l’ point to one thing, so piace. I, gli, le point to more than one, so piacciono. That holds even when the thing comes at the very end: Ci piacciono molto i film.

Liking to do things

To say you like doing something, put the infinitive (the -are, -ere, -ire form) after piace. English uses -ing here, Italian never does: mi piace ballare, not mi piace ballando.

An activity counts as one thing, and so does a list of two or three. The verb stays piace: Mi piace nuotare e ballare.

Who likes it: mi, ti, gli, le…

The short word before the verb tells you who likes the thing: mi (to me), ti (to you), and so on. The verb keeps following the thing.

Watch the third person. Gli is to him and le is to her. Polite you uses the same word as to her, written Le with a capital: Signora, Le piace Roma? For them, everyday Italian says gli too, and that’s correct and normal. To stress who, say a loro: A loro piace il mare.

Don’t borrow the subject pronouns. Lui piace means people like him, not he likes.

a me, a te: stress, contrast and short answers

Each short word has a longer, stressed partner made with a: a me, a te, a lui, a lei, a Lei, a noi, a voi, a loro. Use it to stress or contrast who likes what: A me piace il tè, a lui piace il caffè. With a name, always use a: A Marco piace il treno.

The long form is also what you need when there’s no verb. Mi can’t stand on its own, so me too is anche a me, never anche mi. Anch’io answers ordinary verbs; with piacere the standard answer is anche a me.

Use one form or the other: mi piace or a me piace. You’ll hear a me mi piace all the time in casual speech, but it’s colloquial, so avoid it in writing.

Keep the article: mi piace la pizza

When you talk about things you like in general, Italian keeps the definite article where English drops it. I like pizza is mi piace la pizza, and I like dogs is mi piacciono i cani.

Cities and people’s names take no article (mi piace Roma), and neither do activities (mi piace ballare).

Saying no, and saying “I like it”

To say you don’t like something, put non in front of the short word: non mi piace. Nothing goes between mi and piace. For a question, keep the same words and let your voice rise: Ti piace?

There’s no word for it or them: mi piace on its own means I like it, and mi piacciono means I like them. Add molto for a lot and per niente for not at all.

Piaccio and piaci: being liked

Piacere has other forms, but they make the person the thing that pleases. Piaccio means I am liked and piaci means you are liked. So mi piaci means I like you, and ti piaccio? means do you like me?

For everyday likes and dislikes, piace and piacciono are all you need.

Common mistakes

• Io piace il caffè.Mi piace il caffè.The coffee is the subject; you need mi (to me), not io.
• Mi piace i cornetti.Mi piacciono i cornetti.A plural thing makes the verb plural: piacciono.
• Mi piacciono ballare e nuotare.Mi piace ballare e nuotare.Activities count as one thing, however many you list.
• Anna? Gli piace il mare.Anna? Le piace il mare.Gli is to him; for a woman use le.
• Marco piace il treno.A Marco piace il treno.Without a, Marco looks like the subject: Marco piace means people like Marco.
• Anche mi!Anche a me!Mi can’t stand alone; use the stressed form a me.
• Mi piace caffè.Mi piace il caffè.Italian keeps the article for things you like in general.

The full pattern

Who likes it comes first; the verb agrees with the thing liked.

The thing you like is the subject, so io piace is never right.

No: non mi piace. Non goes before the little word.

Me too: anche a me. Not me: a me no.

For loro, Italians usually say gli piace. It’s correct everyday Italian.